Despite its launch delay from December 2020 to January 2021, Bloober Team’s The Medium is still a highly anticipated horror game thanks to Bloober’s well-deserved reputation in the horror genre. The developer has received critical acclaim for its previous releases, such as Layers of Fear and Blair Witch. The Medium, however, will be its first console exclusive, only releasing on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
Bloober has stated that The Medium has been heavily inspired by the work of Polish artist and photographer Zdzislaw Beksinski. Beksinski is known for his dystopian surrealist work, and interestingly enough, The Medium isn’t the first horror game inspired by his works.
Despite the macabre, grotesque nature of many of his art pieces, Beksinski was known to be a pretty pleasant guy. He shied away from public events, including openings of his own exhibitions. Beksinski once stated that music was his primary inspiration, saying he wasn’t influenced by other things like movies, books, or other artists.
His art is divided into two periods: the “fantastic period” and the “transitionary period.” Beksinski is quoted to have said, “I wish to paint in such a manner as if I were photographing dreams.” His work lives up to that quote, especially in regards to his fantastic period. None of Beksinski’s works have names, as he said he didn’t know, or care about, the supposed meaning of his art. Every piece has no title, and he discouraged or dismissed anyone who tried to pinpoint what his art “meant.”
Despite the dark nature of his early period, Beksinski’s life wasn’t marked by darkness until later on down the line. His wife died in 1998, and a year later on Christmas Eve he found his son Tomasz’s body, who had died by suicide. Beksinski didn’t die peacefully either—he was stabbed to death at age 75 by the son of his longtime caretaker. It’s rumored Beksinski was killed because he wouldn’t loan the teenager some money.
Though his life was cut short, Beksinski’s work lives on and inspires people today. His work has been cited as inspiring a variety of different mediums, including things like music and video games. The Medium is by far the biggest video game his work has inspired, but it’s still interesting to see the influence he’s had on both E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy and Lust for Darkness.
Released in 2011, indie game E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy has been credited as a “playable Cyberpunk 2077” by a few reviewers. The game is a first-person shooter with role-play elements and a multiplayer co-op mode. Fans of dystopian games and torn loyalties may have fun playing this game, though learning how to play can be tedious at times.
E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy has been praised for its visuals and soundtrack, but many found the controls to be clunky and the story poorly translated, as the game originally released in French. While Beksinski’s work doesn’t color the entire game, it is cited as an inspiration for a few levels within the game. E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy was only released on PC and is still available on Steam today.
The PC-only game Lust for Darkness released in 2018 to mixed reviews. It’s a psychological horror-thriller that aims to merge the genres of horror and erotica together. Though it wasn’t exactly well-received, the sequel, Lust from Beyond, was planned for release in September 2020. The full game is not available, but its two free-to-play prologues, Lust from Beyond: Prologue and Lust from Beyond: Scarlet, are available on Steam.
Despite the mature content of the game, developer Movie Games Lunarium stated that the game was inspired by the works of HP Lovecraft and the paintings of Beksinski. The influence of Beksinski is evident in the decrepit yet lush world of Lusst’ghaa—the alien dimension in the game. Prospective players need to have a strong stomach for this game because of its graphic content, and ultimately it seems players either enjoyed Lust for Darkness or hated it outright.
Bloober Team’s The Medium based the spirit world in the game on the works of Beksinski, which isn’t surprising given the artist’s Polish history and the developer’s headquarters is situated in Poland. Though there’s still an air of mystery around The Medium, the influence of Beksinski is apparent in the released stills from the game.
For now, all players can anticipate about The Medium is it’s a psychological horror game that includes puzzle solving and psychic abilities to explore both the real world and spirit world. Players control psychic medium Marianne as she navigates her way through the game, fighting enemies both seen and unseen. Though its release was delayed, the hype for this game is still in full swing, with many comparing it to previous fan-favorite titles like the Silent Hill series.
Beksinski left behind a legacy with his works that continues to inspire people today. Though The Medium is the next big release pulling inspiration from Beksinski, it may not be the last.
The Medium releases January 28, 2021, for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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